Comparing Contract Furniture Quotations Line by Line: What Each Line Should State, How Substitutions Are Flagged and How the Total Is Read
Match every line to your schedule, see substitutions flagged by item code, and read the total only when the trade terms are the same
Two quotations for the same furniture schedule can arrive with totals that are far apart and lines that cannot be laid side by side. The reason can be a base left out here, a different edge there, a fabric reference that does not match, or a trade term that moves freight in or out. Comparing totals first means comparing different things.
This article sets out how to read contract furniture quotations line by line: what each line should state, how a substitution should be flagged, and how the total is read once the lines match. FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. It describes a method and the way FBM Furniture presents its own quotations; it does not state prices, percentages or durations.
Start from your own schedule, not from the totals
Before you open any total, lay each quotation against your own item schedule. Every item code on your schedule should appear on the quotation once, with the quantity you asked for. A line you cannot find is a decision to make, not a saving. Mark the missing lines, the extra lines and the lines whose description has changed from the schedule, and treat each one as a question to put back to the maker before prices are compared.
This is easier when the schedule was complete when it went out. Our page on what to send us, from FF&E schedule to quotation sets out the columns that let a maker price a line, and it advises writing “pending” beside an item code rather than guessing a dimension. A quotation can only be as comparable as the schedule it answers.
What each line should state
FBM Furniture presents a quotation per line, and the same fields are the ones to look for on any quotation you are comparing:
| Line field | What to check against your schedule |
|---|---|
| Item | The item code and name match your schedule, with the same revision of the drawing. |
| Specification | The construction described is the construction you specified, not a general description of the product type. |
| Materials | Frame, carcass, top, filling or other material named for the model quoted. |
| Fabric and finish | The covering and finish references and colour codes match your approved references, and COM is marked where you supply the fabric. |
| Dimensions | Overall size as drawn, with the unit stated. |
| Unit price | One unit price for the line as described, so that a unit price can be set against the same line on another quotation. |
| Quantity | The quantity you asked for, with spares separate if you asked for them. |
| Packing | How the item is protected and marked, and whether parts ship separately. |
| Lead time | Stated on the line. This article does not set out durations. |
A quotation that gives only a product name and a price on a line has not answered the schedule. Ask the maker to complete the fields before you compare it. Quotations that look alike can leave out bases, fixings or edge treatments, which is why the fields above are checked line by line and not by the look of the page.
Send the quotation you hold
Send your schedule and a quotation you already have for a few items. Our team will review them and get back to you.
How substitutions should be flagged
A substitution is any change from what the schedule or an approved reference specifies: a different covering, a different board, a different fixing, a different finish. A quotation that quietly prices a substitute is cheaper for a reason you have not been told. The way to keep quotations comparable is to require that any substitution is identified by item code and resubmitted for approval, so that it is visible on the line it affects and it does not replace an approved reference until it is agreed.
FBM Furniture’s quotations are made like-for-like against your specification, with any substitution flagged. On a quotation from another source, look for the same discipline: the line says what it replaces, and a sample or reference is attached for approval. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out how a proposed change is recorded and agreed before it replaces an approved reference.
How the total is read
Once the lines match, the total can be read, and the first thing to read is the trade term and the place it names. Our glossary explains that EXW places the quoted goods at the named factory or premises, that CFR is the Incoterms term for cost and freight to the named port of destination, and that DDP is used only where it is specifically quoted for the named destination. Supplier paperwork sometimes writes “C&F” for CFR, so the proforma invoice should use the agreed term and the named place precisely. Where a shorthand label and the proforma invoice differ, the proforma invoice controls the order. See the contract furniture sourcing glossary.
Two totals on different trade terms are not comparable. At FBM Furniture, quotations are EXW as standard, C&F on request, and DDP for certain markets such as the United States. Sea freight is quoted before shipment, and customs clearance and inland transportation at the destination are handled by the customer unless DDP is quoted. The proforma invoice records the products, prices, deposit, warranty period, trade term and estimated dates for the order. When you compare, put the trade term, the named place and the freight position beside each total, and ask for the missing piece in writing where a quotation is silent.
A method for comparing quotations
- Map every quotation to your item codes. Build one sheet with your item codes down the side and each maker across the top.
- Mark every difference. For each line, note whether the material, finish, dimension, fixing, packing, evidence, quantity or trade term differs from your schedule.
- Put each difference back in writing. Ask the maker to confirm, correct or price the line as specified, and keep the answer with the quotation.
- Check the assumptions and exclusions. A quotation against concept drawings should carry its assumptions and exclusions; if it does not, ask for them.
- Compare totals last. Only when the lines match and the trade terms are the same do the totals say anything about the offers.
The same method works when you already have a quotation from another source. Our guide describes how to start with one product group: where your project fits our service, we can quote one product group first as a reference, and if you send us your current quote for a few items, our team will review the same specification line by line and get back to you.
When the information was incomplete
An incomplete schedule is workable if the gaps are visible. An “open items” column can separate a buyer decision still pending, a drawing still pending, a sample still pending and a supplier proposal requested, so that each quotation answers the same open points in the same way. A quotation prepared against concept material should carry its assumptions and exclusions, and it should not be read as a fabrication approval. When the open items are resolved, ask for the affected lines again and compare the revised lines, not the original totals.
Where a quotation and the schedule disagree, the revision register records which drawing version a line was priced against. Ask each maker to state the drawing revision beside the line; two quotations priced against different revisions are not quotations of the same item.
Questions to put back to the maker
- Which item code does this line answer, and what has changed from the schedule?
- Which material, finish and colour references does the unit price assume, and are they the references I approved?
- What is outside this line: the base, the fixings, the edge treatment, the covers, the spare parts?
- Which trade term and which named place does this price sit on?
- What evidence will you provide for this item and the destination named, and for which model and configuration?
- How will the goods be packed and marked by outlet or room?
- If a line changes after approval, how will you show the change and return it for approval?
Keep the answers with the quotation. When a maker answers in writing against item codes, the comparison can be repeated by someone else on your team, and a repeat order can start from the same record.
How FBM Furniture is paid
Reading a quotation also means knowing how the party quoting is paid. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend. Both routes should be identified before the order, so the commercial model and responsibilities are clear. Our article on how FBM Furniture is paid on a commercial furniture order sets the two routes side by side, and FBM Sourcing’s note on a BOQ-based quotation from China covers what a bill-of-quantities quotation includes and excludes.
Frequently asked questions
What should each line of a contract furniture quotation state?
Item, specification, materials, fabric and finish, dimensions, unit price, quantity, packing and lead time, matched to your schedule and drawings so that the line can be set against the same line on another quotation.
How should a substitution be shown on a quotation?
Flagged on the line it affects and identified by item code, with the changed reference resubmitted for approval. It does not replace an approved reference until it has been agreed.
Why are two totals not comparable?
Because the lines may describe different things, or the totals may sit on different trade terms. Compare the lines first, then put the trade term, the named place and the freight position beside each total.
What do EXW, CFR and DDP mean on a quotation?
EXW places the quoted goods at the named factory or premises. CFR is the Incoterms term for cost and freight to the named port of destination. DDP is used only where it is specifically quoted for the named destination. The proforma invoice controls the actual boundary for the order.
Can FBM Furniture price the same specification as a quotation I already hold?
Yes. Send your current quote for a few items, and our team will review the same specification line by line and get back to you.
How does FBM Furniture charge?
For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.
More from FBM Furniture
Send the quotation you hold
Send your schedule and a quotation you already have for a few items. Our team will review them and get back to you.